Professor at IIT-Hyderabad, farmer at home

Prof Deepak John Mathew grows more than two dozen varieties of vegetables in a small space in an organic way

Sangareddy: While a lot of people confine themselves to talking about the use of harmful pesticides and fertilisers in cultivation of vegetables and fruits, contributing little to grow healthier food, an Indian Institute of Technology-Hyderabad (IIT-H) professor is showing the way to all such people by growing enough vegetables for his family around his small 200-yard plot house and terrace.

Meet Prof Deepak John Mathew, Head, Department of Design, IIT-H, who grows more than two dozen varieties of vegetables in a small space in an organic way. Prof Mathew’s house is not only home to his wife and two children, but has also become a much sought after habitation for a number of birds, butterflies and other species. Recently, honey bees built a comb in his garden.

Prof Mathew, who was born in the lap of nature in Thekkady Wildlife Sanctuary in Kerala, regularly carries bags full of vegetables from his home in Mac Society, Ramachandrapuram, to IIT-H campus near Kandi, besides sharing daily harvest from garden with his neighbours in the colony. Colleagues and students of the Prof Mathew eagerly wait for their share of vegetables every day.

Drawing inspiration from the professor’s work, many of his students and colleagues have also started growing vegetables at their respective homes. In fact, the Keralite says his students love to learn gardening more than photography and designing.

Speaking to Telangana Today, the IIT-H professor said that the habit of growing vegetables came from his parents and grandparents in Kerala, where they used to grow more than sufficient vegetables in their backyards during his childhood.

When he shifted to Hyderabad after he was inducted as faculty by IIT-H in 2014, Prof Mathew stayed in an apartment for a while. Within a year, he bought a house at Mac Society located between ICRISAT (International Crop Research Institute for Semi-arid Tropics) and BHEL (Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited) in RC Puram mandal.

He rebuilt the house and created more space by removing concrete around the house and made optimum use of terrace to grow leafy vegetables, root vegetables, fruits and flowers. “It gives a Thekkady Wildlife Sanctuary kind of feeling when we wake up listening to the chirps of a variety of birds every morning,” he says.

Since he is concerned about increased use of pesticides and fertilisers, Prof Mathew prepares his own organic fertilizer by utilising the waste produced at his home with cocopeat.
He also grows tapioca, a root vegetable, which is regularly used in Kerala kitchens. Surprisingly, he has got 24 kgs of tapioca harvest. “Getting even 6 kgs of tapioca is considered a good harvest in Kerala, but I reaped a record 24 kg which makes us believe that the land here supports tapioca cultivation,” he says.

Prof Mathew called upon the citizens to utilise space around their houses and on terrace to cultivate vegetables to stay healthy instead of buying pesticide-laced vegetables in the market. He further said that gardening helps one stay positive.

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